The Halfling Saga, Book one: Dead men walking
by theballiner
Summary: SorenXLethe. A man with the power over life and death has returned to Tellius. Corpses have begun to rise from the grave, and a Cult of fanatics has been causing discord. Soren, still struggling With Ike's departure, shares command of the Mercenaries with Titania. Little does he know the events that are coming, and the part he will play in them. mediocre summary, Good story.
1. Prolouge

**First off, Hello fellow fanfic writers and readers. After spending years as only a reader of these stories, I decided to actually write a piece of my own. I personally believe that there should have been more SorenXLethe pairings, but that's why I'm writing this in the first place. The story take place approximately four years after Radiant Dawn , so there will be some changes that I will address; Furthermore, While Ike will not be appearing in the story (save the occasional flashback), I'm looking forward to the opportunity to really define what I believe is the relationship between him and soren (IkeXSoren fans, I feel you will not be disappointed). **

**As a first time writer, I welcome reviews (with the exception of flames of course), and any recommended improvements you may have. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way own fire emblem, although I wish I did**

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Prologue:

Deep within the swamps of Bengion, there was a clearing blanketed in death. A dense fog masked the landscape, and the scent of iron and rotting flesh hinted at the battle once waged between the ancient trees. Corpses that had not fully decayed were strewn about, their mangled bodies showing the various causes of death; from where an axe had cleanly split a skull open, to skeletons broken where massive gusts of wind had slammed them into trunks. Their blood had mixed in with the grass, turning its color to that of ash. the usual sounds of nature were not present in the clearing; it was as though time had preserved this field of carnage in a bubble of silence.

Then, the rustling of footsteps broke that silence.

The footsteps belonged to a single man, walking into the clearing with purpose in his steps. His body and face covered by a faded greed cloak, He passed among the trees, the ashen grass breaking beneath his boots. Each corpse he awarded a momentary glance, noting the twisted expressions of rage and agony that were frozen on their faces in their last moments. Making his way to the center, the man had come to a definite conclusion: all the dead had been laguz, ranging from the beast type to the dragons, and they had all been turned feral at some point. the only exception to this was the last body he was approaching.

The final corpse in question was that of a man, if it could be called such. Covered in a cloak black as night, pale and wrinkly flesh covered a skeletal frame. Long nails stretched from his fingers, the same yellow hue as his misshapen teeth. A few strands of greasy black hair hung over a face that could have been mistaken for a demon's. The eyes, though clouded over by death, still gave hint to the massive intellect once possessed by the dead man. Once, he had been called Izuka, Head scientist of Daein, in charge of the Feral Project and countless others too inhumane to recount; now he was but an empty husk, whose lack of any decay was a testament to his evil.

"Oh, Izuka," the man suddenly growled, lowering his hood, "You never were good at choosing the winning side."

The robe dropped to the ground, revealing the full appearance of the man. He towered at an imposing height, maintaining an impressive musculature frame. A thick crop of ashen gray hair drifted down to his square shoulders, framing a face that could have been hewn from rock. His left eye was an unusual purple hue; His right eye, white as snow, an unknown symbol tattooed in red ink just below. More symbols wove an intricate pattern along his bare arms, running down from his shoulders to his fingertips his skin a dark tan from years of traveling. Overlaying a simple gray tunic were countless trinkets and charms, many of which had craftsman ship not seen in Tellius for centuries. Clearly, this man was not one to be trifled with.

The man rolled Izuka's corpse onto it's back, revealing where a dagger was buried in his chest. _Volke's work, no doubt,_ the man said, pulling out the dagger in one swift motion. Placing his hands over the open wound, the man lowered to his knees, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. he released the breath, and along it a stream of forgotten tongues and ancient incantations. White light pulsed down the markings on his arms, weaving their way to the wound. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and it was over. The man opened his eyes to view his work. The wound had closed, warmth began to spread throughout the corpse. There was but one thing to do.

"Now Izuka," the man spoke, "_Awaken"_

Izuka gasped, his eyes once again clear and darting about. He shot upright, one hand clenching his chest while the other supported him. Turning to his reviver, his eyes widened, and a few words managed to escape his cracked lips.

"Varkas? But…how…"

"Did I manage to find you?" Varkas cut him off, "or perhaps you're more concerned with your rebirth?" His mouth twisted into a sneer "Irrelevant. All you need to know is that you haven't got long, and I need your knowledge. answer my questions honestly, and I'll leave you in peace. First, your notes on project revelation; are they complete?"

Izuka, still trying to grasp the situation, spoke only, "…what?"

Varkas sighed. Quick as a flash, he grabbed Izuka by his throat and drew him face to face. "That is not an acceptable answer, I'm afraid. I'll ask again: are the notes complete?"

Izuka managed to choke out a weak, "Yes."

Varkas relaxed his grip on the old man's throat. "Excellent. Second, what is the status of Gurgurant?"

This time, Izuka gave a full answer right away. "Last I knew, it was being held at Delos Keep, within the Dungeon."

"Very good. It appears death did not completely rob you of your wits. One more question and I'll leave you to your fate, understand?"

Izuka nodded, the fear present on his face.

"Good. Now, where is the last known location the child of Ashnard? Answer me false, and I will know if you're lying, and the consequences will be severe."

Izuka answered, the words rolling off his tongue like water, "Crimea. The boy is in Crimea, living among the mercenary group of the late Gawain."

Varkas pursed his lips. "Gawain, you say? I wonder if he ever knew…Regardless, thank you for your cooperation, my old friend." Izuka released a breath of relief, his misshapen teeth turned to a grin. "As I promised, I shall leave you to your fate. There is simply one more thing I must do first."

Varkas got up and walked away from where Izuka still sat. He stopped and closed his eyes again, stretched his arms out to shoulder-height, and began chanting. A breeze began to swirl around him, strengthening with each passing second. The tattoo beneath his right eye began to glow, as did the symbols on his arms. The wind continued to intensify around him, his charms clanking against each other in an orchestra of dissonance. Varkas continued to chant louder and louder, his voice rising over the wind, the patterns on his arms and eye glowing more brightly with each passing second. Just when it seem that it could not get any more deafening, it stopped; the wind died down, Varkas stopped his chanting, and opened his eyes. The light left his body and broke into parts, entering the rotting corpses of the Ferals. One by one the broken bodies rose, birds and beast and dragons alike, an unearthly light radiating from their eyeless sockets. Slowly, they began to shamble Towards Izuka, rotted flesh peeling off open jaws and beaks.

A look a fear stretched over Izuka's withered face. "Varkas, what is the meaning of this?" He hissed, the creatures growing closer and closer. "You said you would leave me to my fate!"

"And I have. Do you not see?" Varkas said, wearing a smile cold as ice as Izuka was surrounded by the reanimated corpses disappeared from his sight. "You shall sate the hunger of the horrors you yourself created. I can think of nothing more suitable for a worm like you."

Reaching down, Varkas grabbed his hood, once again covering himself up. He slowly walked back the way he had entered, never once looking back towards to sounds of screaming and tearing flesh. "Now then," he said to himself, "there is much work to be done."

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**So, that is the Prologue. Most of you by now know who Ashnard's Heir is (Spoiler, it's soren) but there are still a few questions you probably have (Who exactly is this Varkas? What is Project Revelation? Where will Soren fit into all of this? Just to name a few). Worry not, these questions all have answers, and will be revealed in due time.**

**In regards to updates, I'm going to be perfectly honest: I have most of the major plot points and the general storyline down, but there are still huge gaps that I need to fill. odds are I'll be figuring out it out while I'm writing it, which will naturally cause some delays. Still, I hope to update on a fairly consistent basis. The story will be divided into about four separate fanfics, so I'm looking forward to a long and successful saga.**

**Any who, feel free to review the prologue, and tell me what you think, or if there are any specific pairings you which to request (I'm not opposed to Yaoi or Yuri, as long as it seems logical and you explain your argument clearly). I'll try to accommodate you as the reader, as long as it does not interfere with my set storyline. Next update should be pretty soon! Oh, and Happy New year!**


	2. Dreams of a Parentless

**Hello again! As I started working on this chapter on January 1, I would like to wish you a happy new year. **

**Two quick things before I begin. First, understand that this will center around a very set group of characters, some whom won't appear until later parts of the story. As such, many of the in-game characters will have to be pushed to the wayside, for sake of story progression and organization (a few of these characters will have their own separate stories after this one is finished, I promise). As far as I am concerned, these people simply won't exist, save the occasional one-liner. **

**Finally, to those who have already started reviewing the story, thank you for your support. I'm getting some good feedback. I will start responding to them in the chapter after this one. **

** Now, to the story!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, I probably wouldn't need to be here to get this story out; but I don't, so I do.**

Chapter 1: Dreams of a Parentless

The Tundra stretched out before the young man, bare of any signs of life, save the occasional shrub. Dry earth crackled beneath bare feet, leaving boldly footprints in their wake. Harsh winds pulled at an old torn robe. A pale blue sky hung overhead, clear of any cloud or bird. His bones ached, his throat was dry as sand, and still he continued forward. It felt as though he had walked along this wasteland his entire life. He knew not what his destination was; only that he must keep walking.

Suddenly, the scene changed. The earth and sky gave way to an endless fog of black. Panic filled the chest of the young man, for he somehow knew what would come next. A sharp pain raked along his shoulder blades, as though two axes had cut parallel down his back. A single cry of agony escaped his lips, and he fell to his knees. He bent over, hoping to make himself small enough to disappear. His once-dry throat was burning with the intensity of the sun. His muscled felt as though they were breaking and mending, warping in shape and growing in size. He clenched his eyes shut; at that moment, the man would have welcomed death as an escape to this pain.

Then, just when it felt as though he could take no more, the man heard a voice. It was faint and breathless, like a whisper in a storm. Still, he could hear that it was the voice of a woman, and she was singing. The lyrics were of an unknown language to, but the melody was beautiful, a mixture of joy and sorrow. The young man felt he had known this song his whole life, even though he had never heard it before. The more he listened, the more the pain subsided, and soon it was gone.

The young man opened his eyes and looked up, searching for the source of the song. He quickly found it; a few feet away, there stood a woman veiled in black, impossible to identify. The only thing that the man could make were a pair of eyes, a shade of deep crimson that matched his own. He got to his feet and stood up, never taking his eyes off her. By now, she had stopped singing and was slowly approaching him. She did not make a sound, as though she were a ghost. The man did not back away, for something told him that she would never hurt him.

They were now face to face, although the veil still hid her from sight. She brought up a single hand, and used it to cup his cheek with a gentleness the man had never felt before. He could see the color of the skin; it was a shade of light maroon, contrasting with his own pale flesh. The two stood there for what seemed an eternity. Finally, she spoke.

_"You have questions, some you have never thought of asking," _She said, her melodious voice tinged with an accent. _"They will be answered in time. For now, know that your destiny has yet to be realized._ Her fingers rose, touching the mark on his forehead. _"A new dawn is on the horizon, Soren. Time for you to wake up." _

Soren awoke gasping for air, sitting upright in the chair where he had fallen asleep the night before. In an instant, his red eyes darted about the room, quickly scanning over the various books and scrolls lying about, searching for any discrepancy or potential threat. Only when he was certain that there was none did he finally stand up, still wearing his usual robes. The mage walked over to the window, looking out to see that a new day had begun.

To the east the sun was beginning to pass the horizon, where Earth and sky met each other along an unending border. Many a theory had been made about what existed beyond that border; grizzled sailors and adventurers claimed that there were fantastic lands and foreign creatures, countless riches and perilous adventures, all ripe for the taking; Priests and philosophers spoke of realms where the laws of man and magic were twisted beyond recognition, where gods walked along kings of old; Some simply thought that it was where the world simply ended, and a man could fall off and never be seen again.

Soren dismissed these ideas and theories as simple nonsense. He knew that logically the line could never be reached, as it was only an illusion caused by the curvature of the earth. It was this same logic that told him that the Tundra, The pain, and the Woman existed only in his mind as part of a dream. This knowledge did little to comfort him, however, as the fear and pain felt as real as being in real combat. Not that he had fought recently, not since…

_Not since Ike left._

Soren let out a long sigh as he remembered the significance of this day. It had been four years exactly today since Ike had traveled north in search of new lands, believing his days as a hero were long behind him. He had left before dawn, saying goodbye only to Mist, Titania, and Soren. The goodbye between the two men had been brief; Ike had simply handed him an envelope and wished him the best, then he was gone. Soren kept the unopened letter in his pocket ; he had not read it, refusing to allow himself to feel the pain and sorrow he had felt that day, and the weeks following as well. He forced the thought clean from his head; there was work to be done.

Ike had placed Titania in charge of the mercenaries before he left. While Soren was often at odds with the red-haired knight over moral ramifications, he did admit that she was probably the most competent person for the job. She could be hardly blamed for had followed. Ike's departure from had greater ramifications than he had probably thought. As time passed, many of the member's followed in Ike's wake; some chose to settle down, others plied their skills elsewhere. By now, only a closest of the companions remained, and it was only inevitable that they would eventually go their separate ways. In Soren's eyes, the company would soon be no more. Until then, however, Soren would continue to do the job Ike had entrusted him with; that much was certain.

Soren sat back down at his desk, pouring over the inventory sheet he had worked on the night before. Looking over the numbers, His mind began to drift, as he already knew that everything was in order. Specifically, his thoughts kept going back to the song from his dream. He was certain that he had never come across it in any of his research, yet it felt as though he had always known it. Unknowingly, he started to hum to tune, the melody somehow soothing him. He thought about the Woman, how she approached him, how she had touched his face…

_"How she had touched my mark."_

He brushed a few strands of his raven-colored hair away from his face, and lightly touched the symbol that identified him as a branded. Soren loathed the mark; it reminded him of the unholy consummation between a beorc and a laguz that resulted in his birth, an abomination in the eyes of the gods. He felt the scars on his back, given to him by the bitter woman who raised him after his own parent had apparently chosen to abandon him. He thought of the harsh lessons his old mentor had taught him, mistakenly thinking the youth was a spirit charmer. He remembered the five years he had spent on his own, moving from settlement to settlement, alienated by both races simply for existing. Even his fellow mercenaries were wary of him, even if they did not know the truth. Only two men had even truly accepted him for what he was; one of them was buried in the forest of Gallia, the other had left him for lands unknown.

Soren slammed the accounts books shut. There was no point thinking of the past; it was irrelevant and served no purpose for present affairs. He decided his thoughts on the dream could wait for later, if it had any real significance. Carrying the book under his arm, he exited his room, heading off to meet Titania to discuss the next job. That day, he made a decision: he would never let himself be hurt, and he would never grow as close as he was with Ike ever again.

Little did the tactician know that future events would make him break that promise.

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**Whew! chapter one is complete. Took a while to get everything I wanted out.**

**Next chapter will be from Titania's point of view, and goes much more in-depth about what changes have been made in the past for years. These next few chapters will be fairly slow, But I need to establish groundwork for what will come later. Don't worry, there's an action scene coming up soon, I promise.**

**A quick sidebar to those submitting pairing ideas. I must admit a few I had not thought of before, but could work really well. I'll try to incorporate them into my story, but some I might have to leave for a different story, after I complete this one.**

**Not entirely sure when I'll update next, but I'll try to keep from waiting too long, in the meantime, Review!**


	3. Business as usual

**Hello again!**

**First off, to those who did review, thank you for the encouragement and praise. I hope I do not disappoint.**

**Thatguy: I admit, That Idea sounds very plausible. I think I will try to base another story around said idea, or at least a one-shot.**

**Continue to send reviews, they help.**

**Now, let's back to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I never have owned Fire emblem, and probably never will.**

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Chapter 2: Business as usual

A single beam of light shone through the window, temporarily blinding Titania where she sat. Blocking the light with her hand, she moved her chair to a different part of the table. Sitting back down and satisfied that the light was no longer in her eyes, she resumed reading the letter she held.

_"…not showing yet, but we think it's been about two months. We couldn't be happier to give Colm a little brother or sister; you should see him now, two years old and wild as his mother. Sometimes I still can't believe that the woman I fell in love with is the same Mia that would challenge me at sunrise every day. _

_"I still try and keep in contact with some of our dear friends. A few visit from time to time, others write when they can. Illyana came by a few days ago for dinner (the appetite of that girl never fails to astound me!). Still, I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the days when we were all together; it feels as though each day the bonds that once held us close grow weaker and weaker. Then again, time moves on, and so must we. I understand managing the company must be tiring, but if you get some time, Mia and I would love it if you would come and visit us. _

_"May the light of Ashunera shine upon you._

_-Rhys." _

Titania couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy a he finished the letter. She was happy for Rhys and Mia; the two had built a happy life, and their second child couldn't have better parents. Still, the letter reminded her of how much had changed in the past four years. The couple had been the first to leave the mercenaries; a year after Ike had left. A year later they were followed by Oscar, who returned to his post in the Crimean forces (much to Kieran's delight); and Gatrie, who settled down with Nephenee (which came to the surprise of all but a few).

Shinon's departure six months ago had been the last. Titania was honestly surprised he had stayed on that long, given his surly disposition. When He finally did leave, however, the debacle that resulted was one that Titania had no wish to remember. Ike had been the soul of the Mercenary group; when he left, their days became numbered. All that was left of the company were Boyd and Rolf, who would probably leave soon to join their brother; Mist, Herself, and …

…Soren.

Titania remembered that he would be bringing the account work to her shortly. For all of the time the two had known each other, Soren still remained an enigma to her. The past four years had only reinforced this feeling. He had become more withdrawn, rarely speaking about anything except company business, and rarely leaving his room, even for meals. It had reached the point where Mist had begun leaving a plate of food outside his bedroom. It was as though he had decided to shut the rest of the world out, and retreat into his work. Titania knew that Ike's departure had affected Soren to a greater extent than to anyone else, even possibly Mist. Still, she had started to worry about what state of mind he might be in. Though the two had never truly seen eye to eye, Titania respected Soren's prodigious skills, both as a mage and a strategist.

A small pain in her back returned her to the present. She sighed lightly, massaging the spot lightly with her free hand. She was in her early forties now, and the many years of fighting were starting to take their toll of her. The occasional grey hair was mixing in amongst the crimson, wrinkles started to appear where there had been none. Still, her axe had not slowed, and she could ride a horse better than most cavalry half her age. She was not ready to settle down just yet. And with the unusual delivery from that morning…

Titania smiled. Things could start to get interesting again.

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Soren entered the room, carrying the inventory work, to see Titania reading through some letters. She had known it was him; without looking up, she said, "Good morning, Soren."

"Greetings, Deputy Commander."

Titania grimaced inwardly. While she and Soren shared command of the mercenaries, he refused to refer to her by anything but her old position. In his eyes, the post of Commander belonged only to Ike and Greil. Regardless, she chose not to bring it up. "Is that the inventory?"

"Yes." He handed the papers over.

Titania read though them quickly, already knowing that Soren's report was completely accurate. "Everything seem to be in order"

"Well, if you would excuse me…" Soren turned to exit the room.

"Not quite. There's still one piece of business to attend to."

Soren paused, and turned back to face Titania. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"I received a letter from a Beast laguz this morning, bearing the Royal crest of Gallia," Titania said, showing him the Crest. It was a tree, with a Lion pacing around it. "King Skimir is asking for your assistance in some matter of importance."

Soren's eyes widened marginally, although his face remained expressionless. Why would the king of beasts specifically ask for him? It was true that Skimir had Praised Soren on more than one occasion for his tactical prowess in the Silver Maiden's war, but that did not fully explain the summons. Either way, he thought to himself, he had no intention of leaving to Gallia "What if I refuse?"

"That might be more difficult than you believe."

Soren looked slightly miffed by the response. "How so?"

"The Laguz who delivered it is out front, waiting to escort you to Gallia."

Soren was caught off guard by that last statement. "Well, then, I guess it is only proper to personally tell this messenger that I must politely decline the king's offer."

Titania smiled, which Soren found mildly unnerving. "I have a feeling you might be better in simply packing your provisions."

Soren gave her his usual cold look. "I doubt that will be necessary." Calmly, he exited the Room and walked towards the main hall. When he got to the front entrance, he paused, mentally preparing the best way to flat-out refuse this request. When he opened the front door, however, he found he could say nothing, only stare.

In the doorway stood what appeared to be a young woman. A tunic composed of various shades of light green covered her petite figure, her skin a shade of light peach. A crop of Orange hair framed her head, matching the pairs of triangular stripes on her face. Large eyes revealed to violet pupils that seemed to draw the eye inward. Of course, what a person would have likely noticed first was the pair of cat ears spouting from her head, as well as the orange tail lazily flickering it's way around her legs. Here was the only Laguz that could have been able to bring Soren back with her, the only Laguz who would have volunteered to do so.

For the first time in several years, Soren's intellect abandoned him. "Lethe…?

Lethe smiled.

"Hello, Human."

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**Finally, things are starting to get a little bit interesting. I'm looking forward to working on the relationship between Lethe and Soren. Next chapter will be the first action scene. As I have never written an action scene, the quality may vary.**

**As I am a college student, most updates will be on the weekend. The next one should be this weekend, or at least by Monday.**


	4. An afternoon ambush

**Apologies for the very long delay. My laptop screen broke a week ago, and I'm still waiting for it to be repaired. Plus, I've never done an action scene before, so this took longer than I thought. Still, I'm satisfied with how it turned out, and I hope you are as well. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own fire Emblem, but it would be awesome if I did.**

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Chapter Three: A afternoon ambush.

The afternoon sun pierced through the forest canopy, illuminating a wide path winding through the forest that signified the border of Crimea and Gallia. The bird flew among the branches, forest critters dashed though the undergrowth, and a light breeze was the only sound that broke the near silence. it was a scene of beauty in its purest form.

The beauty of the moment was lost on Soren, whose usual look of apathy was marred with a slight grimace. His forehead was dripping with sweat, and his legs ached from walking for hours. Physical labor had never been his strong suit, something he was starting to regret. He had no desire to enjoy this picturesque scene, just like he had no desire to go to Gallia at the request of their hotheaded ruler, for whatever reason. But above all, he had no desire to be following the woman ahead of him.

If there was one person who could possibly make Soren legitimately peeved, it was Lethe. The two had been at each other's throats throughout both wars, with simply meetings to discuss tactics quickly devolving into shouting matches. To him, Lethe was an arrogant, tactless, and stubborn warrior who respected a certain few and was overly devoted to her commander; the one time he had told Titania this, she only laughed and cryptically said that his description "reminded her of someone else".

Those reason paled, however, in comparison to the real reason for his loathing her: she was Laguz. Years of working with them under Ike's command had lessened his hate of them somewhat, to the point where he could tolerate working with a few for periods of time, Skimir and that obnoxious blue cat Ranulf being the most notable ones. Still, he could not fully erase his hate of their kind, especially the beast tribe. It was, in fact, the one thing that Soren and Shinon would agree on.

And yet, here he was, sweating his ass off in the middle of a forest, following a woman he claimed to hate. His mind was running at top speed, trying to figure out exactly how he had ended up in this scenario, breaking down every second between seeing her at the front door and the present….

* * *

_Soren just stood there, staring at the Laguz for what felt like an eternity. When he finally did speak, all that came out was a single word." _

_"You!"_

_Lethe had the same grin on. "Yes, mage, it is me. We already established that."_

_"What are you doing here?"_

_Lethe' grin shifted to a smirk. "I thought your commander already told you. King Skimir has requested your services. I'm here to insure that you arrive safely."_

_Soren finally regained his composure, and answered with his usual cold tone "What makes you think I would agree to go with you?"_

_The Cat-Girl grinned. "The King only said I was required to bring you back alive and healthy. He never specified that I needed your consent, or for you to be conscious."_

_That caught him off guard. "You dare to threaten me?" Soren growled._

_"Of course not, mage. I'm simply giving you your options." The feigned innocence on her face was infuriating to him. _

_"Do you honestly think that you could succeed in doing so?"_

_"If you had a magic tome with you, I admit that it would be more of a challenge. But as you seem to be unharmed, not so much."_

* * *

The chirping of a bird brought Soren back to his present scenario. He saw that he had once again fallen behind; Lethe had put a sizable distance between them during his flashback. Her tail was darting from side to side, as though it was mocking him. The was nothing redeemable about this beast-woman, no matter how cute she might look, and the heat of the sun was getting unbearable-

Wait. What was that last thought?

_"How hot the sun is getting?"_

No, the one before that.

"_That she might look cute?"_

Yes, that's the one.

Soren could not believe what had jus ran though his mind. There was no way that this sub-human was physically attractive to him. He had simply noted that her face was aesthetically pleasing, along with a pair of legs that looked pretty good as well…."_nonononoNONO_!"

Soren massaged his temples, his face turning a light red. He understood what a was considered attractive to the average person. He himself had used his own charms to get the occasional discount. but there was no way, in any possible scenario, that he found Lethe appealing. Perhaps he was having hallucinations brought on by heat stroke. Maybe he was about to die; honestly, not the worst of options to have at the moment; anything to get out of the heat.

* * *

Lethe let out a groan as she stopped, waiting for the mage to catch up with her once again. She could have transformed and easily been halfway to Gallia by now, yet she was forced to walk at this pitiful speed to make sure she didn't leave her charge behind. Furthermore, they had already stopped several times in the past few hours to let Soren rest. At this rate, it would take them at least three days to arrive at the Capital. She was starting to wonder whether the opportunity to antagonize the pale human was worth accepting the King's orders.

"Hurry up, Mage!" She shouted, " A Gallian newborn could crawl faster than you!"

Soren was not going to let her get the best of him, and shot back, "A newborn of your kind would be too busy tripping over its own tail, assuming the mother didn't try to eat it first."

The fur on Lethe's tail began to bristle. Her years fighting along Beorc had made her more tolerant of them, but she was not willing to let a comment like that slide, especially from him of all people. Just as she turned to retort, however, her nose detected an unknown scent. Immediately, the rest of her senses heightened, bringing new information. The smell was a mixture of sweat and iron, the undergrowth was being crushed underfoot, and shadows could be seeing shifting through the trees. All signs pointed to the obvious. They were being followed; and judging by the fact that they had not willingly showed themselves, it was likely they were hostile.

Behind her, she could hear Soren preparing another insult to hurl her way. "No response? Or are you planning to just growl at me and play with a ball of yarn-"

"Quiet, Mage! We're not alone."

Having heard that phrase several times during the two wars, Soren knew exactly what the simple phrase meant. In an instant, Soren shifted gears; his look of exhaustion was replaced by the expression of a tactician. Asking with cold professionalism, he asked, "How many?"

"I would say eight."

"From what side of the road?"

"Both sides."

"Most likely bandits setting up an ambush."

"Well then," Lethe said, her expression one of arrogant pride, "they chose the wrong target."

At once the trees rustled as the bandits came out into the open. Soren quickly took inventory of the Bandits: _Two wielding sword swords, one lancer and three with axes…Seven total,_ he thought to himself._ The cat obviously miscalculated based on their horrible stench._ Before he could continue, however, one of the bandits approached. Based on the fact that he was the largest and carried the largest axe, Soren assumed he was the leader.

"Well, what do we have here?" the bandit said through what few black teeth he still had. "Why don't you give us anything valuable you might have on you, and we'll let you go. We wouldn't want to hurt two pretty little ladies."

Soren could feel the rage growing. He was sick of men unintentionally calling him a girl; it was as though he was the only long-haired man in all of Tellius who this happened to, more so that the incredibly effeminate Herons. He could her Lethe barely suppressing a massive laugh, and knew that she would never let him live it down. Still, he refused to act rashly. He coolly responded, saying "I'm afraid you are mistaken. I am not a member of the fairer sex, and my female partner here could barely be classified as a human, much less a woman. I would advise you to let us pass, unless you plant to lose your lives."

The head bandit laughed, the rest of his gang following. "That's real funny, smart boy. Guess you're not smart enough to see you're outnumbered eight to two."

"First off, learn to count, there are only seven." Soren replied. "Second, what you mean to say is that there are seven bandits, versus one laguz and one of the most powerful Mages on the continent.

Soren quickly pulled out a wind tome he kept in his rucksack and opened it to the page he was looking for. Quickly he began to chant the incantation that would summon the wind to his will. The leaves overhead began to rustle quicker, the whistle of the light breeze turning into a shriek, his cloak billowing around him. At the same time, Lethe had already begun her transformation. Her body shrank and shifted form, fur covered her limbs, and within a few seconds a large orange cat stood where a woman once was. Before anyone could respond, she jumped forward, latching onto the head bandit, and locking her jaws around his throat. With a sickening sound she toe it out, the rad of the blood mixing in amongst her red and white fur. The bandit futilely tried to cover the hole with his hands, but quickly fell over, dead.

The bandits charged forward, splitting their forces to deal with the two. One of the swordsmen ran towards Soren, his blade prepare to thrust. On instinct, Soren sidestepped the charging Myrmidon, and sent a blast of wind to launch him forward. The bandit collided with a tree, where he fell in a warped shape. Soren quickly readied another spell, sending a gash across the lancer's armor and causing him to stagger. His mind was processing the information at top speed, instantly one step ahead.

Farther down, Lethe was dealing with the situation as calmly as her training required. Having just torn the belly out of the second swordsman, she dodged under an axe and slashed at the wielder's legs. Her claws ripped through the flesh, tearing through tendons and causing the man to fall over in agony. She pounced on top of the bandit, her claw and teeth finishing the job. She looked over to see Soren weaving between the blows of his opponents, most of his spells landing cuts on the bandits. For all of her loathing of him, she couldn't help but admire his skill. His movements were incredibly efficient and precise, and his attacks had a certain grace to them, much like the way his pale skin actually made him look somewhat attractive.

Lethe was stopped in her tracks, barely pulling herself together to avoid getting hit by one of the bandits. For a second, she had thought that pale freak was attractive. There was no way she would ever think that, no matter how graceful he looked as he moved, or that the contrast between his raven hair and his pale skin had a certain beauty to it…

_Stop it stop it STOP IT!_

Her mind was screaming at her to shut up as she finally took down her last foe. She transformed back into her human form, catching her breath a little. She hoped that there wouldn't be anymore encounters like this. It would only delay her from getting her charge to the capital and never having to deal with him again.

Then out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a shadow in a tree. Focusing on it, she could see the faint pulling of a bowstring. _Archer_, she thought. It was the eighth member she had smelled earlier. By the looks of it, however, she was not the target. In fact, he looked to be aiming at Soren.

Soren was too busy dealing with the last bandit to notice the archer take aim for him. Lethe knew it would be pointless to call out and warn him, and she was too far away to take down the archer before he fired. She realized there was only thing she could do.

Soren watched as the last Bandit fell over, bleeding from a massive stomach wound. Before he could turn around however, he felt himself being tackled to the ground by an incredibly powerful force, followed by the sound of a _Twang_ and a _Thunk._ throwing a spell out in the direction he heard the twang from, he was satisfied to hear a loud scream, soon to be silenced by a crunching sound He quickly turned over on the ground to see his foe. He was surprised, however, to see that the person in question had been Lethe. A painful groan escaped her lips, and Soren could see blood dripping out of an arrow wound in her side.

_She knocked me out of the way of the arrow's path, and got hit instead._

Running over to Lethe's location, he saw that the wound hadn't been that bad; she was still moving. Lethe shakily tried to get on her feet, so Soren offered a hand to pull her up.

"Thanks." she said to him, accepting the offer and standing upright.

"Don't mention it. You did help me avoid grievous injury."

Lethe brought a hand to her wound, wincing as she did so. "My orders were to get you to the palace in one piece. I refuse to fail my king."

Soren rolled his eyes at the last statement. She couldn't take gratitude without acting haughty. Still, better not to bring that up now. "Do you need assistance with that?"

Lethe replied, "I don't think so. Just get me a vulnerary and I should be ready to go in…in…"

Lethe trailed off, staring into space for a second. Then she dropped to the ground, slowly blacking out, before everything disappeared however, she could hear Soren calling out to her.

_Oh great,_ she thought to herself as darkness took her. _We'll be delayed even longer now._

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**Alright, I admit that my posting times have been erratic at best, and for that I apologize. The solve any confusion, I will say this: Updates could be pretty far apart, or pretty close. it just depends on the scenario. Still, I think I did pretty good with this chapter. Fell free to review and tell me what you think. **

**Until next time!**


	5. Coudy Skies and High Tensions

**Before we begin, I would just like to say that I am happy with the number of reviews I have gotten for only a few chapters; it's pretty awesome. Most of the advice given has been pretty useful, and I look forward to hearing from you more. Now, onto the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire emblem.**

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Chapter four: Cloudy skies and high tensions.

Lethe woke to the sound of thunder. Opening her eyes, she saw that the clear blue sky had been replaced with a blanket of grey. The scent of moisture in the air told her that it would rain in a couple of hours.

_What happened? _She thought to herself. She attempted to get to her feet, only to be stopped as a by an intense pain lanced through her side. Cringing, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. She saw that she was in a small clearing in the middle of the forest, near a small pond.

"You're finally awake. Good."

Soren was leaning up against a nearby tree, his face in its usual expressionless expression.

"What happened?"

"After you were knocked out, I thought it better to get off the main road before any more bandits came by. It was not easy getting you here."

Lethe groaned. "Knocked unconscious?"

Soren reached into his cloak and pulled out the arrow that had struck her. "The arrow that hit you was coated in a fast acting poison, which would have killed you in a few hours. I was able to administer the antidote before it spread any further in the bloodstream. Unfortunately, it appears as though some traces still remain."

Everything came rushing back to Lethe in a flurry of memories. The two had been heading to Gallia, and were ambushed by some bandits. She had noticed the archer, and only managed just to save Soren by knocking him out of the way.

Why had she done that, anyway? It was his fault he had not paid attention. Why, then, was she the one to pay for his mistake? She could not think of a reason that made sense. It was as though she had acted on instinct; the only person who could injure Soren would be her. Her mind drifted back to the battle, watching him fight those bandits, how he had looked as though he was dancing. Quickly, she shook the image from her head; such thoughts were only distracting.

Lethe looked down. Her waist was wrapped in strips of black cloth, covering the wound. "What's with the bandages?"

"The vulnerary and elixir bottles were destroyed when you knocked me over, along with a decent number of our supplies. I had to improvise with my cloak." He showed her where he had torn off the strips.

Though she was injured, Lethe couldn't help but smirk. "I thought you mages were good at healing."

"My specialty is in offensive magic; usually I had no need to worry about enemies getting close enough to injure me. It seems that is not the case for you."

Lethe's smirk changed to a scowl. "A Laguz warrior challenges his or her opponents in fair combat. We don't hide behind magic, like a coward."

Soren bristled; he would not back down. "I'd rather be called a coward a live than die like an animal on the field."

Lethe could take no more. She yelled, "That's enough! I cannot put up with any more of your insults! Shut your puny mouth before I shut it for you!"

Soren snapped back. "Please, in your condition you couldn't even land a scratch on me. You would be dead if I hadn't been there!"

"This wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me. I told you there were eight total, but you just ignored me and started attacking. I thought you tacticians were smarter than that!"

Soren turned his back on Lethe and began to walk away. "It's pointless talking to you right now. The poison appears to be making you more belligerent than usually, if such a thing were possible. We'll talk more when you're in a better state of mind."

Soren was glad Lethe couldn't see the look of frustration on his face. In truth, Soren had no doubt that it was his fault. He hadn't fought much since the last war, and his skills had diminished somewhat. Because of that, Lethe had been injured. Not that he cared…

"_Don't you?"_ The voice in his head had returned, and this time he couldn't blame it on heatstroke. "_You've sent hundreds of men to their deaths without hesitation, and yet seeing this girl injured gets you this riled up. You were practically shaking as you gave her the antidote, and could hardly apply the bandages. And the way you delicately carried her over here…"_

Soren shut the voice out again. There was no way what it was saying could be true. Even if it were (which it wasn't), He doubted anything could come of it. Besides, he highly doubted she felt similar-

-A well-aimed rock struck Soren on the cheek, leaving a small cut and bringing him back to reality.

"Hey!" He turned back to the obvious culprit.

"I though you said I would be able to scratch you." Lethe picked up another rock, this one slightly bigger than the first. "That's two mistakes you've made today. Ignoring me will make it three."

Soren sighed, and began massaging his temples. There was no point it arguing anymore. "Look," He started "We could spend hours arguing whose fault this was…"

"Yours. It was yours." Lethe hissed.

Soren pinched the bridge of his nose, and then continued. "…Or we could try to get to the capital as soon as possible, after which we never have to work with each other again. Do you find that a satisfying compromise?

Lethe crossed her arms in a huff. "I suppose I really have no choice. Lead the way, Mage."

"Alright. Can you stand?"

Lethe tried to rise to her feet, only to wince and clutch her wound. "I don't' think so."

Soren gave another sigh. Walking over to where she was sitting, he bent down and draped her left arm across his back. Lethe was not expecting this, her face heating up. "W-wait, what are you-?"

"It'll be much quicker this way, unless you prefer to crawl. Now, if you could provide some assistance."

Lethe nodded. Grunting, she focused as much energy into her legs as possible. She could tell by the sweat rolling down Soren's face that he was straining himself, but he surprisingly managed to support her. Finally, the two we able to get fully upright and started exiting the clearing.

"So," Lethe looked around, "where are we exactly?"

"Near Fort Berkas. I recognized the area. It should provide us with sufficient shelter from the rain coming."

This puzzled Lethe. "How would you recognize this place if you've never been there before?"

She felt Soren's shoulders stiffen. His eyes, though they looked cold, masked a torrent of emotions that she could barely comprehend His voice was flat when he "That's none of your concern. Let's get moving."

Lethe could tell something had made him uncomfortable. Whatever she had said was obviously brining up something he did not want to talk about. She considered pressing the issue, but though better of it. There had been enough chaos for one day.

A few minutes later, Soren spoke again, "Oh, and Cat, one more thing..."

"Yeah? What is it, mage?"

"Thanks."

That caught her off guard "…Huh?"

Soren's face turned a shade of light red for the second time that day (a new record); as he repeated "Thank you for saving my life."

Lethe had heard the little beorc use many words, but she had never heard him thank anyone for anything before, with the exception of his commander. Even more surprising was that she could detect no sarcasm, no thinly-veiled insult, and no ulterior motive. It was completely sincere.

She wasn't exactly sure how to respond to this, so all she could muster was, "Don't worry about it. Just make sure you live long enough to return the favor someday."

The two continued making their way to the fort. As they did, Soren couldn't help but think that things possibly couldn't get any more unusual. He had no Idea that things were only getting started.

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**Next chapter will either continue where this one left off, or change perspective; I haven't decided yet. In the meantime, feel free to review!**


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